Mince pie recipe: How to make the Christmas pastry favourite

Christmas is creeping up on us fast, which means it's time to start planning and prepping all the food for the big day.

Stir Up Sunday has been and gone, which means along with the Christmas pudding you can now make a start on mince pies.

The sweet treats are often made ahead of time because they keep brilliantly - up to three months if kept in an airtight container in the freezer or a week in the pantry.

Which is why Tom Aiken, of Tom's Kitchen, has revealed the secret to his delicious mince pies by sharing the recipe below

Mince pies are a Christmas classic

Christmas mince pies by Tom Aiken

Makes minimum 24

Ingredients

Mince Meat Pastry

325g-cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 270g all-purpose flour

115g shredded suet 1.5g salt

150g raisins 140g butter

115g sultanas and currants 110g caster or powdered sugar

115g mixed candied peel 2 egg yolks

150g soft dark brown sugar 1 whole egg

Zest and juice of 1 lemon and orange Few drops vanilla essence

30g nibbed almonds

2 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

Large pinch fresh grated nutmeg

0.5g ground ginger

0.5g salt

4 tbsp brandy

Method

How many will you make your way through this year?

Mincemeat

1. Mix all the ingredients together, except the brandy, in a bowl and leave in a cool place for 12 hours to marinade.

2. Place the mixture in a baking dish, cover with tin foil and bake for 2.5 to 3 hours at 140°c / 225°f.

3. Leave to cool stirring from time to time and then stir in the brandy.

4. Spoon the cooled mixture into storage jars and cover with waxed discs and seal. This is then ready to use, however it’s best to leave it to mature for one month.

Pastry

1. Sieve the flour and salt, put into a stand mixer and place on a low to medium speed, then add the butter mix till crumb like. Add the sugar then eggs and yolks, it will slowly come together, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment to a 0.5cm thickness, then let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut out 48 pieces with a round cutter, you need the tops to be medium and the bottoms to be large.

3. Make the mince pies in either small Yorkshire pudding moulds or tartlet cases. Lightly grease the moulds/cases then flour. Line with the pastry then add the mince pie mix. Place on the lid, crimp the edges and bake at 180°c /375°f for about 10-15 minutes, dust with icing sugar.